“What did you say that this guy did again?”
“He owns a couple of tech companies and also invests in a lot more start-ups as well. He’s completely self-made. A technical genius, a nerd really, a very sexy and fit nerd, though. But oh my God he is one of the smartest business minds I have ever met as well. It’s one of the many things that I feel really connected with him on. Oh, he is just so great, Elyse, he really is. I can’t wait for you to meet him. You will love him. I just know you will!”
“Wow!” Elyse’s voice echoed through the phone, this time with genuine shock. At first, I felt it myself, how the words had slipped out of my mouth so easily with no reserve. Had I ever said those words before in my entire life? Since moving to New York nearly two years ago now, I would have never dated anyone that I had wanted to take home to meet my sister, but this, this was something different. I knew it, I felt it, and this weekend I had the perfect plan in place to really cement it. It would be just the right amount of laughing, hair flicking, outfits that I well and truly overspent on but I knew I looked killer in. And when I looked like that, I would feel like that.
“Right, so, the fact you want to introduce this guy to me, and that you’re going away with him, I’m guessing that things between you two have progressed significantly quickly,” she said.
I shrugged my shoulders, reminding myself that she couldn’t actually see me. “I don’t know if I would call it quick. I mean, we haven’t even slept together. We’re still in the getting to know each other phase. After all it has only been two weeksbut, Elyse, I don’t know if you can relate. And I know the situation that you have with Jordan is different, the two of you met when you were kids. What Henry and I have, I’ve just never felt this comfortable, this happy or at ease and although we have only just met each other, I can’t say that I’ve connected with someone like this before.” It was the truth, from the moment that we met, it was like we were instantly drawn to each other. There was no such thing as small talk with Henry. The two of us together went deep quick, and the past two weeks we had been completely wrapped up in our own world, a world that I enjoyed more than the one I was sitting alone in right now. “I think this might be the moment of, when you know you know?”
I did really feel it, and I knew that he did too. Lotte said she had never seen him this smitten and, as one of his best friends, she had never even been to his private island. It was an island that he kept exclusively for getaways he had by himself or for specific business meetings. Lotte had begged him to throw a party for her birthday many times before, but he wouldn’t budge. And here I was getting an invite after two weeks of getting to know each other. Henry said he had organized it for us, to be able to take some quality time away, just him and me. To be able to truly get to know each other, and so that he could show me a side to himself that not many other people got to see. If that didn’t say that he was already almost completely hooked, then I don’t know what did.
Elyse was quiet on the phone for a little longer and for that, I was grateful. That meant that she wasn’t going to throw what she would call a joke at me or try and give me a motherly talk. At least I hoped not. From my experience, Elyse wasn’t just pausing because she was carefully calculating and taking all of the information in. She was also making sure that she was choosing her words wisely. It wasn’t the jump up and down of excitement and happiness that I wanted. But this was better than a fight.
“So, this guy…” said Elyse, and I hated that she didn’t call him by his name, I had told her it at least twice already.
“Henry,” I interrupted her as I felt the flood of goosebumps rise on my body again as I sighed. “His name even sounds like a prince.”
“That’s Harry, you idiot, not Henry. Seriously though, Molly, have you actually thought this through or not? Because I have been deep diving into this place, and I can’t find anything! How do you even know this place exists? Who’s to say that he’s not going to take you out to the middle of the goddamn ocean and--”
“And what?” I interrupted. I should have known that this could have turned sour at any moment, and I should have known even better for my detective sister to have been excited at the thought of a deep romance and a spontaneous adventure.
“I don’t know, Molly. I don’t know this guy and you’ve only known him for two weeks. Really the possibilities of wherethis guy could be taking you are endless. You’re getting older, and I’m so sick of having these conversations with you. Going away with someone so soon, it’s just a lot. Do you even know his last name? The exact companies that he owns? What about the co-ordinates of this island? This man hasn’t even come recommended by anyone that you actually know, no one that can vouch for his character.”
This was typical Elyse. This was the exact reaction that I should have expected. “I’ll have you know that I do have all the answers to those questions. But I’m not stupid enough to tell you that information, because in the past ten minutes, I heard you park your car, walk into the office and I know that you’re going to do the most extensive background check on him as soon as I give you the answers.”
Elyse gasped through the phone, the fakest gasp that I had ever heard in my life. She could not act, and she certainly couldn’t lie. “I was not!” she spat. I rolled my eyes. She absolutely was, and a part of me wanted to tell her everything there was to know about Henry so that she found all the incredible things about him. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Without my permission, Elyse had done her background checks to guys I had dated previously and everything about it just seemed so invasive. This was how Elyse liked to deal with things, with facts and the past. I, on the other hand, loved feelings and presence, it was another way in which we really were the complete opposite. She was the logic; I was the emotion.
“And I will have you know that he did come recommended, that was how I met him, through Lotte.”
“A girl who you met the exact same night that you met him, is not classed as a great recommendation.”
“Okay look, it’s been really great chatting today, I’m so glad that I picked up my phone, I really am. This conversation has brought so much joy to me, thank you. I’m really glad that we could have this sisterly chat, and I could share in my excitement about how I am really finally happy. So happy that you may even remember this very happiness that I am reveling in with you on my wedding day, so you can put it in your maid of honor speech,” I said sarcastically. As much as I wanted to tell Elyse all the details of Henry. There was no point.
“Molly, you know I’m only asking you these questions because I am looking out for you and I do care,” she said bluntly.
“I know, but for a second, I just thought that you could share in some momentary excitement with me, that’s all. Look I’ve got to go, I’ve got a helicopter to catch,” I said, pepping myself back up. I would not let her get me down. “I’ll catch up with you all about it next week.”
Elyse sighed through the phone again, longer and more exaggerated this time. “Okay,” she said. And that was all, no “Have fun,” no “I can’t wait to hear all about it,” just okay.
Chapter Two
Two Weeks Earlier
“So why did you apply? C’mon, be honest.” Raven slurred, “We can all say that we were here for the right reasons.” She raised her hands either side of her, making bunny ears with her fingers. Before filling up her wine glass from the bottle we just ordered.
Why did I apply? What was the right answer? I had drunk so much, and I couldn’t think clearly with the particular set of blue eyes that were staring at me. The blue eyes I had avoided, the blue eyes that were at the forefront of my mind and the blue eyes that I felt the pull from even without looking at them.
I held my glass out to Raven as she filled it up, emptying the last of the bottle into both mine and Lotte’s glasses. Both the girls were flawlessly stunning. Raven’s dark skin glowed against her lime green dress. Lotte had golden eyes that matched her long blonde hair, staring back at the girls it really was a shock to me that they didn’t make it into the final round. I was a plain jane, painted up in a bright pink dress and matching lipstickhoping that I could hide my boring brunette features from the judges. But now I was regretting my colour choice, it really wasn’t for me.
“Honestly,” Lotte slurred back. We were all sitting down around the table, and she was still swaying. I couldn’t help but laugh. And I shouldn’t have been judging, for all I knew I was slurring my words too. “I didn’t want to go here, I didn’t want to turn tonight into a downer, but I came here purely for revenge.” I spun to face Lotte, the blue eyes now completely out of my vision as Raven perked up, leaning across the table.
“Oh no, honey, revenge isn’t a downer at all. Revenge is a Goddamn good story, that’s what it is, please tell me!” She didn’t blink, keeping her eyes locked on Lotte as she sipped continuously from the wine.
“It was just to get back at my ex from cheating,” Lotte sighed, sinking back into to the long seat the two of us were sitting on.
Raven rolled her eyes. “Of course he did, all men cheat. Even on the hottest of girls. It really is crazy that you didn’t make it through tonight. If there was anyone that was going to make it, my bets were on you.” I agreed with Raven, I thought that Lotte was going to be the one that the producers sent through as well. “But please, we need details? What did he do? Did you walk in on him with someone else? See messages on his iPad? Whoever it was he chose to fuck instead of you, I bet that she was uglier. It always astounds me how they always cheat with someone uglier, fucking men. Why are you allso stupid?” Raven turned towards the blue eyes that were sitting next to her, waiting for him to answer a question on behalf of his whole gender.
The blue eyes widened as I looked back at him. His cheeks turned pink and the attention from the three of us was completely locked on him. He shook his head, running his fingers through his dark hair, that always fell around the front of his face, even with the many times he tried to peel it back, bringing even more attention to his sharp jaw line. This man was like a long-lost cousin to both Jacob Elordi and Jared Leto. He opened his mouth, but nothing but a short stutter escaped. I’d heard him give his broad opinion on many topics tonight. I knew that he was short and brief, but succinct and smart. But now, he was completely speechless.
